Nook GlowLight gets a price cut as Paperwhite launch approaches

Amazon's impressive new Kindle Paperwhite is set to launch in just a couple of days, but Barnes and Noble has decided that its going to put up a fight. Both Target and Walmart are showing that the price of the Nook Simple Touch with GlowLight has been cut just ahead of the Paperwhite's launch. The new price of the Nook GlowLight? $119, the same price that Amazon has given the basic Paperwhite model.

Of course, one of the biggest differences between the Paperwhite and the Nook GlowLight is that the Paperwhite will show you "special offers," which is just fancy PR talk for "advertisements." In order to banish the advertisements from your Paperwhite, you'll have to pay a fee. The Nook GlowLight doesn't show any advertisements, and now that Barnes and Noble has brought the price down to match that of the Paperwhite, it might be able to steal some sales away from Amazon.

This doesn't look like a limited time promotion either - Target's ad says that the Nook GlowLight's price has been cut, rather than saying that it's merely on sale or that this is a special offer. It's worth pointing out, however, that Barnes and Noble's own listing for the Nook GlowLight still shows a $139 price tag (as does Target's online listing - only the in-store ad shows a price of $119), so it's possible that Walmart and Target are just bringing their prices down to move some units quickly before the Paperwhite arrives. One thing is certain, however: if you've been waiting to pick up a Nook GlowLight, now is the time to buy.

That's especially true when you consider that Amazon won't be shipping new Paperwhite orders until near the end of October. Demand is apparently so high that Amazon had to push the ship date for new orders back to October 22, but whether that's because of sheer popularity or a component shortage is unknown. Whatever the reason, this shipping delay should allow Barnes and Noble to net a few extra Nook GlowLight sales now that the eReader is sporting a lower price tag at some retailers.